Fender guide



Feb. 13, 1940. Q F, BAHR 2,190,622

FENDER GUIDE Filed April l. 19:57

- EME A52,3 WEE-@25E Patented Feb. 13, 19,40

Uil'

r'rENT "o1-FICE This invention `relates Vto fender guides fior motor vehicles, of the kindcornprising a rod'or stai secured to and rising from a fender edge and carrying a target at the upper end of `the y stativ` to be sighted by theydriver to assist him in maneuvering the vehicle.

An object of the invention is to providean assembly of stati and target, such that these parts y are easily and ecoilomicallyV coupled,r and yet the target is adjustable on the staff but at the same time is held against accidental displacement or unauthorizedremoval.

The target is generally elongate in` one direc- J tion, and often it is shaped differently at opposite lai ends.

` Where the target is thus nonsymmetrical, taste may ldictate that one end or theother shouldbe4 foremost. Also, it may be desired on oneoccasion to have one end of the target the leading end thereof, and on another occasion to have the rother end ahead. l

Best sighting is obtained, moreover, when the target is elongate and iscarried with its direction of elongation parallel toj the longitudinal center line of the vehicle.` But various fender edges differ in shape `and inclination, so rvthat when a guide is made to have its target extend as just described when the'guide is mountedon one kind lof fender, and is clamped torsome other kind of fender, the target is `found vto be at .an

angle to the longitudinal center line of they* l2, shown as an elongatenonsymmetrical one:

vehicle. l l l v A feature of the invention is a connection be'- tween the target and the staiT whereby the target maybe angularly adjusted about the sta axis, and even when desired revolved about such axis, but only deliberately and not casually.

Another feature of the invention is a mounting of the target on the stall which allows the target effectually prevents theft of the target.

and particularly attractive tofjuvenile pilferers.

Sometimes, also, especially where thetarget 'is of costly type, its'surreptitious` removal is, at-

target and the staff, so that while thev target is manually `readily thus adjustable, it retains `any adjustment given it,'indeiinitely, against road rto ybe rotated vabout the staff axis, yet which The targets of ,fender guides `are of unique designs,'

vibrations, crosswinds,.and the like. Also, ac-

cording to the now preferred way of carrying outa theinvention, the target is locked against bodily removal from `the staff by means which acts n frictionallyryet` is nonreleasable except withgreat diiiiculty and byapplication of a hand-power 5 multiplying tool such as a wrench.

` Other features and advantages willhereinafter In the accompanyingdrawing:

Figure l is a side elevation of a fender guide to which my invention hasbeen applied. i

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail View,

principally a vertical section taken-axially of the staff, showing vthe target of Fig.` `l and the upper l, i5

`Fig, `3 isa view-similarjtoFig. 2, but showing a end of the stal.

modication.

Fig. 4, is aview also similar to Fig. 2, but show-` ing another modiiication.

Fig. 5 shows, inperspective, one of the parts of the modification of Fig. 4.

Figli is a 4vertical section, taken on'theline li-li of` Fig. 4,1butshowing only the `part of Figq andthe upper end of the staff on which said .2

part is sleeved.

The Adevice ofthe presentinvention, in` the" exemplary embodiment thereof illustrated inthe v drawing, is shown as having a `rod or stati it, 301

adapted to be supported upright on the fender of a motor car',` as by a clamp of the type indicatedg` at il, land'carrying at its top `a Isight or` target lThe stad is usually a metal tube, as illustrated,

and is preferably so made in carrying out the The target is customarily hollow lfor lightness of weight, andthe target shown is in the form of v a shell having a rear ogival portion |2a "of f'translucent material, and a dissimilarly shapedV forward portion [2b 01 opaque material, be-` tween which is an interposed metal ring I2C "for exposing a decorative and iinishing band I2cl Where the two shell parts `are permanently joined,` as by a suitable adhesive.

The Vlower wall of the shell portion `l2zi here includes an upwardly extendingboss integral rear shell portion I2-a and the neckl3 of the forwardshell portion. When the shell parts Iza;

the boss.

' iaperture in the top of cap 20.

In Figs. 2 and 3 the boss is marked l5, and in Fig. 4 the same is marked i6.

As will be understood, the target may be of any size, shape or mode of construction.

According to the present invention, the target is mounted on the staf for angular adjustment about the axis thereof, and in such manner that the target when manually so adjusted will remain by friction in the adjusted position, yet be irremovable from the staf except by difcult and prolonged effort exerted by a person surreptitiously attempting its removal.

According to the exemplary constructions of Figs. 2 and 3, the opening through the boss is a tapped hole, within which an externally threaded bushing is screwed so tight as to become jammed securely therein; this bushing sleeves a rod member disengageably joined to the upper -end ofthe stai but on which the bushing is rotatable; and there is provided a means, as a coil spring il, for exerting an upward axial thrust on the rod member to establish, between matching end surfaces of relatively movable parts, a dependable friction clutch for holding the target in any adjusted position on the staif.

Referring to Fig. 2:

The bushing, marked i8, is enlarged at its bottom to provide a disk i9, which may be exter- 35.;

nally knurled as in Fig. 1. The lower face of this disk is flat and in contact with the nat upper surfaces o-f a cap 20 having a force t on or otherwise permanently attached to the upper end of the staff. l f y Such flat contact surfaces provide the friction clutch aforesaid.

The rod member is a headed stud 2l having a cylindrical shank passing down `through a cylindrical bore in the bushing and -thence through an At its bottom, the stud is headed-over as indicated at 2l The stud is of such length that its head 2l" is at a height above the bushing to insure that the spring' il', extended between the topof the bushing and the head 2l, is always under sufficient compression to cause the friction clutch between thebushing and the cap to impositively yet dependably lock the target in any angular setting teIA giventhe same about the axis of the staff.

In assembling the device of Fig. 1, the stud,-r

spring, bushing and cap are first assembled as `shown and the stud is headedover at its bottom, then the cap is jammed tighten the staff, and nally the bushing is screwed up tight in the target.

Referring to Fig. 3, this is like Fig. 2 in that it shows a construction employing a spring Il and a washer 22 on a rod member, and also an externally threaded bushing for sleeving theas having. a straight knurling 26', within the staff.

As will be noted, the clutch elements between the staff and the target, acted on by the spring l1 as in Fig. 2, are the conical surfaces on the stud and within the bushing 23.

In assembling the device of Fig. 3, the stud, washer, spring and bushing, are rst assembled as shown, and then the plug 2t is forced down into the stai until these parts are arranged asA illustrated, after which but a single operation is necessary, that of nally screwing the bushing up tight in the target.

In Fig. 4, the boss I6 in the tagret is shown as having a cylindrical bore, while the bushing is in the main a cylindrical shell having at its upper end an inwardly directed annular ange 30, and at its lower end an outwardly directed annular ange 3|.

The friction clutch between the target and the staff is provided by matching horizontal surfaces, one at the top of the staff and the other at the underside ofthe bushing iiange 3d; the staff being sleeved by the bushing suiiiciently loosely to mount the bushing rotatably on the stai.

For serving the friction clutch, a spring 28 is on a stud 29 andextended between the head 29 of the stud and the top of the bushing. The stud is made tight in the bushing by forced t therein desirably by the aid of a straight knurling I29a on the stud. The target is locked permanently on the bushing 27, the exterior of which is shown as having a straight knurling 2id, by applying a suitable adhesive between the bushing and th boss i6.

In assembling the device, all parts except the target are rst assembled as just above explained, the stud being forced down into the staff far enough to place the spring 29 under the desired compression; and then the target is secured to the staff.

A feature of the invention which it is sometimes desirable to incorporate is a biasing of the parts such that the target will be more tightly held in one or more adjusted angular positions about the staff axis than in others. Suchl an arrangement is shown in the embodiment of the inventionnow being described. The upper end of the stair is provided with a plurality of diametrically opposite recesses, one of which is shown at 32 in Fig. 6, and for coaction with these recesses the top flange 3G of the bushing carries a pair of diametrically opposite depending lugs 30', conveniently formed by crimping the liange 30 as illustrated. These lugs act as 'impositive detents relative to the recesses 32, due to the thrust of spring 28. In coupling the target to the staff by securing the bushing 2l in the boss I6, the parts may be set so that the line joining the recesses 32 will be one marking an extension of the target parallel to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle on which the fender guide is to be mounted. If, due to the shape or inclination of the fender, the line joining the recesses 32 is found to extend at an angle to the longitudinal center line of the vehicle after mounting the fender guide on the vehicle, this may be corrected by resetting the staff relative to the clamp by which @e fender guide is attached to the car. For instance, when a clamp like that illustrated at l! is employed, and having a nut 33 which may be tightened to grip the stai in a selected angular adjustment of the same about its own axis, it would only be necessary to loosen this nut, then give the stati iii the angular adjustment required, and again tighten the nut.

` Variations and modications may be made Within the scopeof this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

. I claim: i i

1. As a ynew article of manufacture for a fender guide, a coupling for mountingy a target on .a supporting structure and comprising a bushing; a central structure including a stud extended into the bushing, said bushing and structure being relatively rotatable and having surfaces which contact during said relative rotation; and a spring 'urging said surfaces toward each other.

2. As a new article of manufacture for a fender guide, a coupling for mounting a target on a supportingstructure and comprising a bushing; `4 a central structure including a"studextended into thebushing, said bushing and structure being relatively rotatable and having surfaces which contact during said relative rotation; and a spring urging said surfaces toward each other, said yspring being carried by the stud vabove the bushins.

3. `A fender guide comprising a staff; a target;

and a coupling between thestaif and the target `comprising a stud secured to the stan', a sleeve structure secured to the target and angularly adjustable about the stud, a spring on the stud above the sleeve structure and exerting an upward axial thrust on the stud, and a friction clutch including contacting surfaces one on the stud and a` coacting one onthe sleeve structure, said spring serving to prevent casual slip of the clutch.

4. A fender guide comprising a staff; a target; and a coupling between the staff `and the target comprising a stud secured tothe staff, a sleeve structure secured to the target and angularly adjustable about the stud, a spring on the stud above the sleeve structure and exerting an upward axial thrust on the stud, and a friction clutchincluding contacting surfaces one on the sleeve structure and a` coacting one' on a part other than the stud but fixed relative to the staff,

said spring serving to prevent casual slip of the clutch. n f l d 5. A fender guide comprising a staff; a target, a coupling between the staff and target comprising a stud secured to the staff; a sleeve structure secured to the target; a spring disposed on the stud above said sleeve structure adapted to exert an upward axial thrust on said stud; a friction clutch includingcontacting surfaces, one on the shaft and a coacting one on the sleeve structure,

said spring serving to prevent casual slip of the 4 clutch; and means` including an impositive detent for holding the target in a selected adjustment.

6. A fender guide comprising a staff; a target, a `coupling between the stai and target comprising a stud secured to the staff; a sleeve structure secured to the target;` a spring disposed on the stud above said sleeve structure and exerting an upward axial thrust on said stud; a friction clutch including contacting surfaces, one on the shaft and a coacting one on the sleeve structure,

said spring serving tol prevent casual slip ofthe `clutch including contacting surfaces, one on the shaft and a coacting one on the sleeve structure,

said spring serving; to prevent casual slip of the clutch; and detents formed onthe coacting sur-- face of said'sleeve structure adapted to engage recesses provided inthe contacting surface of said shaft, said detents being held in engagement with the recesses by said spring.

GUsTAvE F. BAHR. 

